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Dr. David Lai

Research Professor of Asian Security Studies
Area(s) of Expertise: Asian political and military affairs, especially China and Korea; democratization; comparative communism and post-communism; civil-military relations; strategic culture.

Email Dr. David Lai

Photo Dr. David Lai is a Research Professor of Asian Security Studies at the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the U.S. Army War College. Before joining SSI, Dr. Lai was on the faculty of the U.S. Air War College. Having grown up in China, Lai witnessed China’s “Cultural Revolution,” its economic reform, and the changes in U.S.-China relations. His teaching and research interests are in international relations theory, war and peace studies, comparative foreign and security policy, U.S.-China and U.S.-Asian relations, and Chinese strategic thinking and operational art. Dr. Lai is the author and co-author of many articles and books on U.S.-China and U.S.-Asian relations, and has co-edited several books on the subject, including The PLA at Home and Abroad: Assessing the Operational Capabilities of China’s Military (with Andrew Scobell and Roy Kamphausen, Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, June 2010), and Chinese Lessons from Other People’s Wars (with Andrew Scobell and Roy Kamphausen, Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2011). Dr. Lai holds a bachelor’s degree from China and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Colorado.

SSI books and monographs by Dr. David Lai

  • Learning by Doing: The PLA Trains at Home and Abroad

    November 30, 2012

    Edited by Mr. Roy Kamphausen, Dr. David Lai, Mr. Travis Tanner.
    The papers presented in this latest volume in a series on the PLA are a timely and critical look at an evolving and expanding Chinese military and provide context for the changes we may see as the PLA continues to modernize.

  • The United States and China in Power Transition

    December 19, 2011

    Authored by Dr. David Lai.
    Historically, systematic power transitions were settled in war. Can China and the United States avoid a deadly contest and spare the world another catastrophe? What can we expect from China and the United States with respect to the future of international relations?

  • Chinese Lessons from Other Peoples' Wars

    November 17, 2011

    Edited by Dr. Andrew Scobell, Dr. David Lai, Mr. Roy Kamphausen.
    The 2010 People's Liberation Army (PLA) conference focused on the lessons learned by the PLA from the military actions and experiences of non-Chinese armed forces over the past 30 years, which the PLA can apply to its own strategic planning.

  • The PLA at Home and Abroad: Assessing the Operational Capabilities of China's Military

    July 06, 2010

    Edited by Mr. Roy Kamphausen, Dr. David Lai, Dr. Andrew Scobell.
    In 2009, the People's Republic of China, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, and the PLA Air Force celebrated their 60th anniversaries. Behind China’s economic development, the PLA parades, and the spectacular celebration fireworks, the world clearly saw an ambitious China edging its way to the center stage of international economic, political, and military affairs. However, a few other major events in the last 2 years came just in time to remind the Chinese leaders, and the world as well, that China still faced a challenging future.

  • Beyond the Strait: PLA Missions other than Taiwan

    April 30, 2009

    Edited by Mr. Roy Kamphausen, Dr. David Lai, Dr. Andrew Scobell.
    On September 26, 2008, over 70 leading experts from academia, government, the military and policy thinktanks assembled at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, to look beyond the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) primary focus on Taiwan and to the evolving new roles of the PLA. The conference could not have been timelier, given the PLA’s active involvement in events during 2008, including earthquake relief, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, space activities, and blue water naval operations.

  • Learning from the Stones: A Go Approach to Mastering China's Strategic Concept, Shi

    May 01, 2004

    Authored by Dr. David Lai.
    The author introduces a new approach to learning about the different ways of strategic thinking and interaction in Chinese culture. It is through learning the Chinese board game called go,that is a living reflection of Chinese philosophy, culture, strategic thinking, warfare, military tactics, and diplomatic bargaining. The author suggests that a little knowledge of go will take U.S. leaders a long way in understanding the essence of the Chinese way of war and diplomacy.

 

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